A novel in-line process monitoring technique for powder bed additive manufacturing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Seita ◽  
Tan-Phuc Le
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Process Monitoring ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Monitoring Technique ◽  
Line Process

Effects of Shield Gas Flow on Meltpool Variability and Signature in Scanned Laser Melting

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Deisenroth ◽  
Jorge Neira ◽  
Jordan Weaver ◽  
Ho Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Process Monitoring ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Laser Energy ◽  
Flow Speed ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Flow Speeds ◽  
Gas Flow Velocity

Abstract In laser powder bed fusion metal additive manufacturing, insufficient shield gas flow allows accumulation of condensate and ejecta above the build plane and in the beam path. These process byproducts are associated with beam obstruction, attenuation, and thermal lensing, which then lead to lack of fusion and other defects. Furthermore, lack of gas flow can allow excessive amounts of ejecta to redeposit onto the build surface or powder bed, causing further part defects. The current investigation was a preliminary study on how gas flow velocity and direction affect laser delivery to a bare substrate of Nickel Alloy 625 (IN625) in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Additive Manufacturing Metrology Testbed (AMMT). Melt tracks were formed under several gas flow speeds, gas flow directions, and energy densities. The tracks were then cross-sectioned and measured. The melt track aspect ratio and aspect ratio coefficient of variation (CV) were reported as a function of gas flow speed and direction. It was found that a mean gas flow velocity of 6.7 m/s from a nozzle 6.35 mm in diameter was sufficient to reduce meltpool aspect ratio CV to less than 15 %. Real-time inline hotspot area and its CV were evaluated as a process monitoring signature for identifying poor laser delivery due to inadequate gas flow. It was found that inline hotspot size could be used to distinguish between conduction mode and transition mode processes, but became diminishingly sensitive as applied laser energy density increased toward keyhole mode. Increased hotspot size CV (associated with inadequate gas flow) was associated with an increased meltpool aspect ratio CV. Finally, it was found that use of the inline hotspot CV showed a bias toward higher CV values when the laser was scanned nominally toward the gas flow, which indicates that this bias must be considered in order to use hotspot area CV as a process monitoring signature. This study concludes that gas flow speed and direction have important ramifications for both laser delivery and process monitoring.

Multi-material model for the simulation of powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

2021 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 110415
Author(s):  
Vera E. Küng ◽  
Robert Scherr ◽  
Matthias Markl ◽  
Carolin Körner
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Material Model ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed

scholarly journals A STRUCTURED APPROACH TO REDUCE DESIGN ITERATIONS IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 231-240
Author(s):  
Laura Wirths ◽  
Matthias Bleckmann ◽  
Kristin Paetzold
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Final Part ◽  
Layer By Layer ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Batch Sizes ◽  
Manufacturing Technologies ◽  
Structured Approach ◽  
Design Freedom

AbstractAdditive Manufacturing technologies are based on a layer-by-layer build-up. This offers the possibility to design complex geometries or to integrate functionalities in the part. Nevertheless, limitations given by the manufacturing process apply to the geometric design freedom. These limitations are often unknown due to a lack of knowledge of the cause-effect relationships of the process. Currently, this leads to many iterations until the final part fulfils its functionality. Particularly for small batch sizes, producing the part at the first attempt is very important. In this study, a structured approach to reduce the design iterations is presented. Therefore, the cause-effect relationships are systematically established and analysed in detail. Based on this knowledge, design guidelines can be derived. These guidelines consider process limitations and help to reduce the iterations for the final part production. In order to illustrate the approach, the spare parts production via laser powder bed fusion is used as an example.

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